Transit Of Venus: How A Rare Astronomical Alignment ChangedThe, TheOn June 8, 2004, the planet Venus moved across the face of the sun. This historic event was rare: the last Transit of Venus occurred 121 years earlier. On June 6, 2012, Venus will again transit the sun. In Transit Of Venus: How A Rare Astronomical Alignment ChangedThe, The, scientists and historians write of the extraordinary impact these cosmic events have had on the exploration and colonisation of our own planet.